Pursuing a career as character artist or similar, need advice

[crazer]

I'm 23, never went to university, no degree and have been working in the industry since I was 19.
Not regretting the lack of a degree or 'education'.

I got lucky though, my first job was offered to me as I was about to try to figure out what I should study, so I just went with it. After that I've landed a job at Guerrilla Games and been there for about 2 and a half years now.

[Wim]

sometimes you need luck, but in you're case Crazer, you must be good enough to go into a company like that. And indeed a degree is useless than.
Someother need more exercising, they have difficult delemmas. I've been into the same situation and still am frankly. Those uncertainties can be a pain in the ass..."what to do next". We in Holland and Belgium have cheaper possibilities than the US. But the guy is 22 and has allready a nice dept. So hard work should be a good answer, and make you're depts lower while you work. Doesn't matter what. And If you have the money saved to pay a good course, you probably grown much on you're own, so maybe you dont need the course at all.

[benclark]

As long as you are disciplined enough and can afford the time to work for at least 10hours a day for a few years you will improve quickly. Took me 2 years of doing that to get from noob to being paid for my work

You sound like you dont really want to go to uni again.

A guy with 2 degrees and 20K of debt is still going to lose out on a job to a guy with no degrees, a positive bank balance and an amazing portfolio. Good luck

[Tom]

Before next summer I will have to make a choice too. Come summer and I will have my bachelor (fingers crossed ). My education isnt exactly strictly "game art" - its more of a "interactive media" education (games included).. anyways, I will have to make a choice if I want a candidate degree or if I want to try my luck getting a job.

However the choice seems fairly simple at the moment;
I've only been doing game art for a little over a year now - all self taught (due to my education not focusing entierly on game art - lots of programming like doylle has..).
However this next year will be focus on animation, modeling and game programming, but I hardly think I can learn enough during this time to make a living of it when I get my bachelor.
I agree with doylle on a lot of points, you have to use your spare time on this, and I dont feel that my education have helped all that much yet so I feel that you have to have a passion for it, because a degree alone wont cut it, especially not character artist.

I often wonder if I will ever make it. Even though I feel like I give 100% of what I got and have learned on a little project I always end up finding people who have done a much much better job. I guess perseverance is just as vital a skill as modeling and texturing. Havent it been for my will power I would have given up a long time ago. Its definitly not a cakewalk.

To get started I recommend:

tutorials, tutorials, tutorials, (lots of patience), getting a "job" on a mod.
From personal experince I know that it helped keep me on track and I've learned way more being a dedicated developer on a few mods than my entire stay at universty yet (game art only though... hehe they teach other stuff too of course)

[Jedah]

Originally Posted by doylle

Everything you see in my portfolio, 65% of the modeling is self taught, all the texturing is completely self taught.

Just wanted to double up on this being true. I'd say 90% of what I know is self taught. I only learned the basics of the industry from game school and from what others who have gone to them have said this seems to be the case most of the time.

[Genia]

Originally Posted by benclark

10hours a day for a few years you will improve quickly.

This is the bit that makes me lose heart. I currently dont have 10 hours per week of free time. Never mind per day. And its only going to get worse when me and my gf end up buying a house and having kids reasonably soon.

Anyone here managed to get to professional standard while still juggling a different full time career + family?

Genia

[benclark]

Originally Posted by Genia

This is the bit that makes me lose heart. I currently dont have 10 hours per week of free time. Never mind per day. And its only going to get worse when me and my gf end up buying a house and having kids reasonably soon.

Anyone here managed to get to professional standard while still juggling a different full time career + family?

Genia

I worked a shift engineering job for 18 months, worked 12 hour split shifts every day and only took 14 days off in 18 months. After that I worked construction for a few months

I saved every penny so I could afford to spend a year learning and set myself up a freelance artist. Its actually easy enough to do, depends on how much you really want it, and how understanding your gf is

[Talon]

Yeah, you can find the time if you're determined enough. I work a 9-5 job in game dev and I still practice game art at home from when I get in until 2am almost every night. It's tough to do and you'll feel like crap for a while but it works.

If you've a gf, maybe make that every other night :P

Like Ben said, it's just a case of knuckling under and getting it done.

[Xoliul]

Whoa Talon, you have a job that starts at 9 and still manage to stay up until 2 ? I really would have a hard time at my job if I didn't sleep 8 hours a night...

[Genia]

[quote=Talon;63779]It's tough to do and you'll feel like crap for a while but it works.
QUOTE]

Thats pretty much what im doing now. I get average of about 5 hours sleep. Cant cope with it like i used to ... but its getting easier.

After I move house in a month ill hopefully have a hell of a lot more spare time for 3 months at least. Will make great leaps in that time

Genia